Keep Your Spiritual Fire Burning | Finishing Part 2
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, Elder Sarita Bernadette. Long before podcasting existed, a promise was spoken. That one day, Sarita's voice would bring comfort, clarity, and understanding through the word of God. Years later, when God opened the door, Sarita took the next step in faith.
Introduction:What began as a leap of faith has become a weekly invitation to walk more closely with God, discover the joy found in his word, and receive fresh revelation for every step of the journey. Whether you're walking through the valleys or standing on the mountaintops, Sarita's heartfelt messages will guide you back to God's promises with wisdom, warmth, and the gentle reminder that he cares deeply for you. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to Joy In Every Step. I'm glad you're here. Let's continue with our topic from last week, finishing. Finishing.
Sarita Bernadette:The concept of the finisher's anointing in Christian teaching refers to the supernatural power, divine grace, and strength to complete an assignment, project, or spiritual race. Perhaps you've been called to do something, and you got it started, you got it going, but you found that it was hard to finish it, to carry it through to completion. Maybe you ran out of energy or enthusiasm or even courage. So let's deal with three things today that may have kept you from carrying your assignment through to completion. Three things, energy, enthusiasm, and courage.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, there are times in our journey when we feel like our energy is running low. We may even feel like we've run out of energy. You know, the tank is empty. Well, Isaiah 40 verses 29 through 31 reminds us, He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted.
Sarita Bernadette:But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. When we feel exhausted and overwhelmed, we can find comfort and hope in a God who never runs out of energy. Verse 30 reminds us that even the young and strong will eventually get tired.
Sarita Bernadette:Our strength has a limit, right? A person's age, skill, or even determination doesn't matter. We're human. But God, the creator of everything, never grows faint or weary. And beloved, remember that God isn't looking for those who are strong in their own right anyway.
Sarita Bernadette:He specifically pours his power into those of us who are tired and worn out. The scripture says, if we wait in hopeful anticipation, if we trust and rely on God, he will lift us above the heavy circumstances and give us divine energy. He will usher us through the seasons that are tough. He will provide us with the endurance we need to make it step by step. Remember Zerubbabel?
Sarita Bernadette:He is best known in the Bible for leading the first wave of Jewish exiles back from Babylon and spearheading the rebuilding of the second temple in Jerusalem, in Zechariah four and nine, God declared, the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation. His hands will also complete it. That was confirmation to the Jewish leader that his mission had come from God, and he had his favor. And, beloved, it's a promise that we can lean on today. When God gives us an assignment, we can look to him to finish it.
Sarita Bernadette:Philippians four thirteen reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us the strength. Now that's not a promise, meaning we'll be able to accomplish every personal victory that we come across. It means what God has ordained, he will help us to achieve. All things means the hardships, the trials, and the tasks that God has assigned us to do in this life. With regard to enthusiasm, Colossians three and twenty three.
Sarita Bernadette:Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You serve the Lord Christ. This passage teaches us to do things with our whole heart in service to the Lord. It shifts our focus from trying to please other humans to understanding that we are working for the creator of the universe. The passage also reminds us that there is a reward waiting for us in heaven.
Sarita Bernadette:And I believe the reward we get on this side of heaven is the joy and satisfaction of knowing we are working in concert with the Lord. It's a blessing. Romans twelve and eleven reads, do not lag in zeal. Be ardent in spirit. Serve the Lord.
Sarita Bernadette:The voice version of that particular verse, Romans twelve and eleven says, do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over as you serve the Lord. The Apostle Paul is warning against apathy and sluggishness. He challenges us to be ardent or fervent in spirit, meaning we should show intense passion for the things of God. With regard to courage, Joshua one nine, I hereby command you be strong and courageous.
Sarita Bernadette:Do not be frightened or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. In this famous Bible verse, God commissions Joshua to lead the nation of Israel into the promised land after the death of Moses. And he commands him to do it with fortitude. God acknowledges the fact that fear and discouragement are natural human emotions, which is why courage has to be a conscious choice rooted in trust rather than the total absence of fear. I'll repeat what Joyce Meyer has said down through the years.
Sarita Bernadette:Sometimes you have to do it afraid. Isaiah forty one and ten reads, do not fear for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you.
Sarita Bernadette:I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. This popular verse is reassurance for us as believers. Facing fear, uncertainty, and hardships are less difficult when you remember the Lord is not only present, he is putting his super on our natural and holding us up as we work. Remember Nehemiah, the prophet and the leader of the Israelites? The book of the same name tells his story.
Sarita Bernadette:We've shared it on this podcast a couple of times. During his tenure as cup bearer to king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah learned that the people in Judea were in distress, and the walls of Jerusalem had been broken down, and the gates had been burned. We saw his fervor. We saw his passion show up in his response to the news. Nehemiah wept.
Sarita Bernadette:He fasted, and prayed for days, confessing the sins of his people and asking God for favor with the king. Nehemiah went after his task with energy and enthusiasm and godfidence as well. He knew the Lord had called him to do the work. Nehemiah set out for Jerusalem right away and assessed the situation thoroughly. He did so privately and under the cover of darkness.
Sarita Bernadette:Why? Because Nehemiah wasn't
Introduction:going
Sarita Bernadette:to allow anyone to influence his outlook. Nehemiah knew the assignment was important and that it wouldn't be easy. He was clear eyed in the second chapter of Nehemiah when he returned from surveying the walls of Jerusalem. Verses seventeen and eighteen read, You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.
Sarita Bernadette:Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace. I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, 'Let us start rebuilding.' So they began this good work. Nehemiah shared the mission with his community and got them involved. God had help ready for him.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, what if your destiny helpers are ready and waiting for you to say yes? Note, they went to work together on the wall, together as a group. When Nehemiah's enemies questioned him, he replied, and I'm paraphrasing, the God of heaven will give us success. You have no claim here and nothing to do with this. I love that.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, what if we declared that over our assignments and our tasks? It might sound something like this. The God of heaven will give me success, and the enemy of my soul has no claim here and nothing to do with this. I'm gonna say that again. The God of heaven will give me success, and the enemy of my soul has no claim here and nothing to do with this.
Sarita Bernadette:That is powerful. In the face of opposition, Nehemiah combined his faith with operational readiness. He assigned half the people to work on the construction of the wall, while the other half stood guard with weapons, and the builders kept a sword at their side. Through unified effort and a tremendous amount of courage, that massive wall was completed in a remarkable fifty two days. Beloved, I'm going to repeat last week's closing prayer.
Sarita Bernadette:I pray that God's precious anointing will cause you to revisit that abandoned goal. I pray that procrastination lifts and you're able to go back to that incomplete assignment. I pray that you are able to move it from pending to done. Before we go, I have a small favor to ask. Would you take a moment to leave an honest Google review of Joy In Every Step?
Sarita Bernadette:Hearing about your experience can help someone else decide to listen. You'll find the link in the episode notes. Thank you for spending this time with us. This is Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me.
Sarita Bernadette:Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you next time.
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